It would certainly leave his stamp on the city, and mark the big changes he’s already helped facilitate.

But what will a new structure look like in the sky here? Will it change the way we think of Detroit in our minds when we picture its skyline at sunrise? And should we be talking more about the architectural implications of building something so large, and imposing, along Detroit’s skyline?

In some other cities, developers endure months-long community meetings and regulatory hurdles before they’re allowed to construct buildings that will fundamentally alter a city’s look, and feel. Here, we just seem to go along and allow those with the money to build, to do what they wish.

When the Renaissance Center was built in the 1970s, the vision for the future was a building that would unite downtown Detroit with the waterfront. In reality, the RenCen served as a sort of blockade for many years — cutting off the riverfront, and separating itself from downtown with cement pylons.

Dan Kinkead, an architect and urban planner with The Smith Group, says designers in Detroit learned a valuable lesson with the Renaissance Center.

“Many cities have a similar story behind them, a development that never came to fruition,” says Kinkead. “[Now] there’s greater awareness of how these buildings impact their surroundings… I think that’s a remarkable thing.”

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